Halo:Future Imperfect
by bldude
Summary: The future after the human-covenant war isn't all that great.  The UNSC decides to alter the past for the greater good.  Rated T


_Author Note: This is set in an alternate universe, but the changes are due to time travel. I'm going to try to incorporate some canon material as well. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer:I own nothing except for original characters and this story, don't sue me._

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**December, 2552 (Military Calendar)\Unknown Space, Near Forerunner Installation 00 "The Ark"**

The aft half of the UNSC frigate _Forward Unto Dawn_ drifted through deep space, carrying a cryogenically frozen Spartan-II super soldier, the Master Chief John-117 and his companion, the "smart" A.I. Cortana. The Master Chief, as he was known by his friends and teammates, had fought bravely for decades in the Human-Covenant war, finally over after the battle that took place in the nearby Forerunner installation, the Ark. The duo had been left behind as the portal between the Ark and Earth closed. They would drift, undisturbed for years, and eventually get caught in the gravity well of an unknown planet, far, far away. But this time, it would be different.

It started with a ripple of light, as space distorted, and seemed to crack. The inexorable force of time was assaulted…and shattered. A jagged opening appeared, and out came a ship. To the people of this time, it would seem similar to human ships, grey and blocky, like an unloaded infantry assault rifle. But that's where the similarities ended. The ship was over _seven_ kilometers in length, larger than any human and even Covenant ship. Its hull bristled with weaponry, all of it of unknown type to any observer in this time period. A green strip ran vertically along the rear of the ship, near the strange engines. On the strip was the unmistakable logo of the UNSC, a bird above a globe. The ship also bore the name, "_UNSC Deus Ex Machina_".

Deep inside, at the bridge, near the center of this mysterious ship, dozens of human officers were hard at work, checking and rechecking every system on the ship. It was a miracle that they made the transition. On an elevated platform a grey haired woman paced, accompanied by three adjutant commanders. She wore a grey uniform, and four stars signifying her as an admiral. At that moment, she was taking control of the situation.

"It worked, but we need to hurry. Locate the _Forward Unto Dawn_ ASAP, and bring it onboard, keeping the portal generated is taxing enough already, and we don't have enough power to open a new portal."

One of the commanders' nodded, and gave his status report.

"We've located the ship. Spartan-117's FOF tag has been confirmed. The ship is being guided into bay 7 as we speak."

Another commander touched an icon on a console, and a holographic screen appeared in thin air, depicting tractor beams bringing the rear section of a UNSC frigate into a cavernous bay, easily 500 meters in length. The admiral nodded, and with a reverent tone, said,

"With him, we may have a chance. Now let's get on with our mission."

With its cargo safely inside, the massive ship reentered the portal, and the opening closed, the anomaly in space-time disappearing.

**TIME: DATE RECORD ANOMALY\UNSC **_**Deus Ex Machina**_**, Slipspace, unknown location**

Since the unknown ship had taken what remained of the Dawn, Cortana had been analyzing the enormous bay they were in. From the limited sensors available, Cortana had found to be at least half a kilometer long, enough space to fit up to a UNSC destroyer. Besides the visual data Cortana acquired of this titanic ship, the A.I. had no additional information. The section of the damaged frigate had no comm. nor regular sensor systems. In short, Cortana was effectively mute and deaf. This had frustrated the smart A.I. for the lack of new information on this ship or their situation would be akin to suffocation. It had been mere days since the Chief was frozen in cryo, awaiting rescue. This ship had appeared in a spectacular display of light, similar to a slipspace transition, but this portal had seemed different. And the ship that had taken them in, using some sort of energy beam to move the Dawn, was clearly very advanced, and very large. It did not fit any ship classification she had ever seen, UNSC or Covenant, nor did it match the style of either faction, although it was grey in color, and slightly blocky in appearance, similar to most human starships. With the cameras on the Dawn that were available, Cortana could see no more. Then, a green transport of some kind, reminiscent of a bird appeared. It was almost like a pelican dropship, yet so much different. Cortana didn't ponder long on it however, as the transport pulled up along the side of the frigate's hull. A drone of some sort, no more than 7 meters in length and size, came out of the transport. It emitted a blue beam, which sliced an opening into the hull. Cortana gave the A.I. equivalent of a jaw dropping open, a drone that size had drilled through sixty centimeters of titanium-A battle plate in less than a heartbeat. Half a dozen humanoid figures in sealed black armor flew in the hole, through the use of jet packs. The hole led into the corridor right outside the cryo chamber, and the figures entered the chamber itself. Cortana decided to see what they wanted. She appeared on the lone holographic emitter pedestal in the room, hands on her holographic hips,

"Who are people and what do you want?"

The figures hesitated, and one stepped forward. The figure unpolarized a black faceplate, revealing a human face behind it.

"Cortana? I'm Commander Crafton of the UNSC navy; it's an honor to meet you."

Cortana was surprised at Crafton's awed voice, but was even more surprised to hear that this was a UNSC vessel. She decided to ask some questions,

"Alright Commander Crafton, what ship are we on? I've never seen it before, and the size is unbelievable. I recognize nothing about this ship, or the technology around me."

The commander seemed uncomfortable, and was definitely hiding something.

"It's…complicated. You'll have a full debriefing soon, first though, we need to move the Master Chief to our med bay, and stabilize you as well. Our sensors indicate you're approaching rampancy, and any A.I. lifespan extensions only work before that onset."

The other members in the commander's team removed the cryo pod containing the Spartan. The pod weighed over a ton; more so, with the Spartan inside, proving that the armor this team was wearing had strength enhancing properties, or that they were augmented. Cortana postponed pondered on the ramifications, and instead queried on this "commander" on some more interesting details.

"A.I. lifespan extensions? I've never heard of such a thing, and I know that it's not possible either, although many within the UNSC have tried, unsuccessfully, to create such technology," said Cortana, narrowing her eyes.

Commander Crafton, seemingly realizing he had let something slip, was silent for a long moment. But he went back to his original statement,

"As I said, it's complicated, I'll let the doctor explain it to you."

The rest of his team then completely severed all connections between the cryo pod and the ship, and Cortana, whose memory crystal was inside the Spartan's armor, had her connection severed from the holo-emitter.

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Several minutes later, Cortana was downloaded into another memory storage device, hooked up to a holo-emitter. Cortana immediately manifested herself on the emitter and found herself in a spacious room. Work desks filled the room, but none of them were being used. A door slid open, and a woman in a white lab coat walked in. The woman was very old, with full white hair, gray-blue eyes and a lined face. It took even Cortana, an A.I. with incredible processing speed a couple seconds to recognize her, but she did, with a gasp, and the woman spoke first.

"It's good to see you again Cortana."

It was Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, her creator and "mother".

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_Just a short first chapter to capture interest, reviews are appreciated! I'll explain more in detail in the coming chapters._


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